As Indians we need to try to find the full answer - "Who are We"?
The British foisted a demeaning imperialistic so-called "history" of
India used to break and govern the minds of India.
That legacy was later used by communist intellectuals to reinforce the
demeaning history.
Video speech by Dr. Subramanian Swamy on the book "Breaking India" by
Rajiv Malhotra how India is being slowly and systematically being torn
apart by different vested interests
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3NpQQMh8jQ
Difference between India and other countries. And how history books are being used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP25exSwVUQ
=========
Just try a simple experiment in any group of friends. Start talking about the achievements of India. Sooner rather than later you'll find a very vociferous person who simply cannot digest any pro-India talk. For him/her almost all standards of excellence will be Western. Any Indian achievement is immediately attacked as a non-achievement or at best nullified completely by 'caste/poverty/corruption' ("tri-dosha"). Achievements are immediately restricted only to long forgotten past, never to be repeated. Modern achievements are one-off cases and can't really stand upto the "tri-dosha terminal illness".
S.Gurumurthy talks about the "Indians-Can't-DO" club which forms the majority of the Indian Thinkers-Doers million strong opinion-makers : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ2RcT0mGR8
Cultural Empirialism:
In fact the West had prospering Dept. of Sanskrit in what was known as the Romantic Period (Max Mueller etc). They learnt lot of Sanskrit, but couldn't understand the depth of it. So they just mapped their culture's thoughts on to our traditions and declared themselves the 'civilized world'. Being a subjugated people we just believed whatever they wrote in the history books.
Rajiv Malhotra in his book 'Being Different' talks about how this led to a huge impact on India and Indian psyche.
Rajiv Malhotra who talks about clash of civilizations and how Indian view of Universalism needs to be preserved (talks about how US guys are stealing concepts like Vipassana and re-packaging/re-labelling it for profit bereft of the roots from India).
Also see his other youtube talks which are very thought-provoking....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP5gPVW3XDM
You can skip past the introductions to when Rajiv Malhotra actually starts talking.
Very interesting and important for any Indian to know these things
Indians are very open to ideas from outside. This is a double-edged sword - beneficial in some cases and extremely harmful in others.
Just saying "Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai" won't suddenly reform a jealous neighbour into abandoning his 'sinful thoughts' and repenting.
That only happens with Buddha or someone of that level.
Gandhi-ji's ahimsa worked as the Western powers had bled themselves dry.
Something that is not stated explicitly they left not only India but also all other colonies across the globe.
We need to accept things selectively from our environment and filter out other things like an intellectual immune-system .
Compatibility of ideas also needs to be checked. Foreign ideas also need to be digested and not taken as a whole.
Otherwise we may end up like an AIDs patient whose immune system is totally disabled.
Unable to recognise or fight back against even a common cold.
Other cultures claim an exclusive right on things.
Islam and Christianity are cases in point.
All other religions are "false and heathen religions", worshipping "false gods".
Only they have a one true God and your soul can only be saved by abandoning your path and joining them.
Just because some foreigner nods and smiles in Indian discussions doesn't mean they agree with you.
They're just being either 'polite' or 'politically correct'. Many Indians don't even understand their version of sarcasm.
Back home they will give a real twist to how they corrected the 'heathens' and 'barbarians'.
Also they become self-proclaimed "experts on India".
===============
Note : The following is not meant for any person in particular but to Indians esp. educated Indians (like us) as such.
While searching for my own roots I've come to see only a small portion of its vastness, but it has knocked away to a large extent the Western rosy glasses I was wearing till now.
Esp. the extremely thought-provoking work of a person called Rajiv Malhotra who has written a book called 'Being Different'. There are many superb videos on youtube for people who can't go through the rather thick book.
You may be wondering 'Why bring culture into it?'. It's not culture alone but a world-view that we carry in our minds. How we judge things. How we compare things. What is the basis for these ideas. World-View.
Basically it boils down to "X in India vs. Y in West". And the West mostly wins in most things that matter to an average person.
----
Whatever works for any person is good - if LM(love marriage) is good then great, if AM is great so be it.
Marriage and divorce (with/without children) are personal issues but they also lie at the root of the world we live in. That is why we also need to look at things in a not self-oriented way.
The Westerners HAVE to depend on themselves as they intentionally alienate themselves from BOTH children and parents alike (kids are expected to move out early and parents are put in old-age homes). 'Serial-mongamy', 'my-her-our-children', 'pre-nuptial' contracts before marriage is really the depth of self-oriented thinking.
Difference in opinion between generations is a natural thing. This is a good thing.
Generations need to connect and pass on things of value as each has something to learn from the other.
Today we still have parents and in-laws who will still rush to our aid in times of need.
However utility vs. bonds of affection is the new mantra from the West.
Old age homes in India are becoming quite the norm.
In this head-long rush into short-term thinking we're missing the connections between generations.
THIS is the Western 'model' we're looking up to. Even they don't like it.
----
Actually the fact that West is 'heading North' has more to do with the colonial loot they carried off with them from colonies spread all over the world.
The fact that the rest of the world is 'heading South' is due to
a) the said looting and even more dangerously
b) the mental baggage that the looters saddled us with while 'educating' the looted.
Literally a clear case of 'Ulta Chor Kotwaal ko daante'.
Anyway that is another very long story.
People interested can try Rajiv Malhotra 'Being Different' videos on youtube.
Meanwhile the thieves by the way have eaten their way through the loot in a matter of few generations (at least the Europeans).
The Americans on the other hand looted first the Red Indians and THEN the african slaves to build their fortune. Then while Europe tore itself (and its colonies) to bits in WW2, US was selling arms and making the loot from the looters. This by the way is part of WW2 history as told by Americans.
The Westerners in turn have failed with Capitalism (and Communism - it's twin).
US like all big spenders is today propped up by its creditors (China, India and the rest of the world). It is teetering on the edge of a precipice.
So the 'Success' of the West can mainly be credited to the 'Colonies' which supplied them with goodies for so long.
Blaming our highly evolved culture for 'non-success' is due to our brain-washing and ignorance of these facts. The worst part is we don't even know what we're trading in our culture for.
----
Going to temple, weddings etc are the max. limits of Indian culture we know about.
As I explained during KMan's marriage the deep significance of each ritual is now only known to a different type of Indian quite unlike what you and I have become. Cut off from our roots.
Indian culture is a very vast and deep thing.
Unlike short-lived Western ideologies they've withstood the test of time.
We don't know that however because we rarely have contact with it anymore.
What we think of as Indian Culture is the topmost twigs of a huge Banyan tree stretching for miles and miles.
The roots run deep and dig into the ancient Earth from which we all draw sustenance.
----
As you say, taking informed decisions requires having differing points of view in the information.
Cartels don't want that. Media - as the word says and means is 'a means of transfer'. The problem comes when media controls/filters transfer of information.
Fortunately Net has made such info available to seekers rather than empowering 'Media Barons'.
French have french keyboards, Germans, Japanese and Chinese have their own keyboards.
Slave-minded and brain-washed Indians pride their knowledge of English though.
The day we voted Hindi instead of Sanskrit as a common language and even WORSE English as a national language was the day we poisoned national pride (unlike all the nations above).
Rajiv Malhotra talks about about this and much more in his videos on 'Difference Anxiety' of Indians.
Self Image vs. Image of West:
Some really, really thought provoking videos on youtube to understand the economic implications of the following videos.
I for one was really surprised to know this about my own country, the US and the rest of the world.
S. Gurumurthy is a C.A. and became a Journalist while exposing the financial gol-maal of Bofors in Indian Express etc.
He talks about Indian Economy. I'd been meaning to see his talks for at least last 2 weeks but finally got around to seeing today.
The start of the talk maybe a bit slower so feel free to skip forward to the really interesting parts.
1) Comparison of Indian and US in Society and Finance : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymv_sZA8bjk
2) Problems and Potentials of Indian Economy : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVrhbq5Yp8I
3) Change in Society of US : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymv_sZA8bjk
4) How America is able to grow so much : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEE5bprA2xg
Details of S. Gurumurthy : http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/s-gurumurthy-a-corporate-adviser-swadeshi-ideologue/1/227901.html
I'm an Indian living in India and re-learning about India again.
This requires lots of un-learning and re-evaluation of the Western hog-wash as well.
The West today controls the global standards and modes of discourse. We need to define our own world-view and put our faith in our selves.
The parts of Indian culture I'm interested in are Yoga and Spiritual growth.
It was very incongruous to be learning really deep thoughts and leading a totally different life otherwise. Cognitive dissonance. How could such a deep culture be so regressive. Something was missing. Was it just wishful thinking or was there more to such a culture than appeared.
The best part is that I was groping around in this darkness when I was suggested Rajiv Malhotra's work. BOOM!!
Indian culture recognises all sources of knowledge. However Western thought rarely if ever acknowledges others. Just check out the Nobel prize list.
The pride I feel about being Indian is fully counter-balanced with a sense of being cheated out of one's own inheritance. About being fooled by cheap tricks (the shiny and cheap baubles of the West) into detaching from my own culture and roots. No wonder we have so much corruption in a country run by people with so little day-to-day pride in itself or it's culture.
=============
Manufacturing Consent from diverse "Special Interest Groups":
"The Pen is mightier than the Sword" they say.
What an Unbeatable combination when BOTH are used.
Malala is only one such 'instrument' to get the (moral) high ground even while continuing the most underhanded things in the World!!
Sanctions, Aid, Economic pressure, Military might, Drones, Diplomatic pressure, Media pressure.
The list goes on.
The best part is getting diametrically opposing ideologies to support the bigger agenda - "Dominating the Other".
Idealists support Malala type 'initiatives',
the Hawks support drones,
Businessmen support 'reconstruction' contracts.
Rules of thumb :
"If the world is run by Committees be sure to get on one".
"Better yet form the committee and fill it with your own people to fulfill your own agenda."
"Always SET Global Standards and the set the agenda of Discourse."
"Give awards to people you can co-opt for pushing your ideas and opinions" - Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize. Every man has his price, just tap into what he/she considers as defining their goal.
Intellectuals are the easiest to control as normally they're quite ignored by 'common-man'.
Getting __selected__ for a prize or getting recognition from a Govt. is like getting the attention of people - 'finally and deservedly'.
Rajiv Malhotra talks about this phenomenon - Role of Language in setting Global Standards and Discourse : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U37L8EPVc5s
Breaking India : Rajiv Malhotra talks about forces trying to carve-up India into pieces by creating/inflaming faultlines : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJGs17sUnvY
============
Difference between India and other countries. And how history books are being used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP25exSwVUQ
=========
Just try a simple experiment in any group of friends. Start talking about the achievements of India. Sooner rather than later you'll find a very vociferous person who simply cannot digest any pro-India talk. For him/her almost all standards of excellence will be Western. Any Indian achievement is immediately attacked as a non-achievement or at best nullified completely by 'caste/poverty/corruption' ("tri-dosha"). Achievements are immediately restricted only to long forgotten past, never to be repeated. Modern achievements are one-off cases and can't really stand upto the "tri-dosha terminal illness".
S.Gurumurthy talks about the "Indians-Can't-DO" club which forms the majority of the Indian Thinkers-Doers million strong opinion-makers : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ2RcT0mGR8
Cultural Empirialism:
In fact the West had prospering Dept. of Sanskrit in what was known as the Romantic Period (Max Mueller etc). They learnt lot of Sanskrit, but couldn't understand the depth of it. So they just mapped their culture's thoughts on to our traditions and declared themselves the 'civilized world'. Being a subjugated people we just believed whatever they wrote in the history books.
Rajiv Malhotra in his book 'Being Different' talks about how this led to a huge impact on India and Indian psyche.
Rajiv Malhotra who talks about clash of civilizations and how Indian view of Universalism needs to be preserved (talks about how US guys are stealing concepts like Vipassana and re-packaging/re-labelling it for profit bereft of the roots from India).
Also see his other youtube talks which are very thought-provoking....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP5gPVW3XDM
You can skip past the introductions to when Rajiv Malhotra actually starts talking.
Very interesting and important for any Indian to know these things
Indians are very open to ideas from outside. This is a double-edged sword - beneficial in some cases and extremely harmful in others.
Just saying "Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai" won't suddenly reform a jealous neighbour into abandoning his 'sinful thoughts' and repenting.
That only happens with Buddha or someone of that level.
Gandhi-ji's ahimsa worked as the Western powers had bled themselves dry.
Something that is not stated explicitly they left not only India but also all other colonies across the globe.
We need to accept things selectively from our environment and filter out other things like an intellectual immune-system .
Compatibility of ideas also needs to be checked. Foreign ideas also need to be digested and not taken as a whole.
Otherwise we may end up like an AIDs patient whose immune system is totally disabled.
Unable to recognise or fight back against even a common cold.
Other cultures claim an exclusive right on things.
Islam and Christianity are cases in point.
All other religions are "false and heathen religions", worshipping "false gods".
Only they have a one true God and your soul can only be saved by abandoning your path and joining them.
Just because some foreigner nods and smiles in Indian discussions doesn't mean they agree with you.
They're just being either 'polite' or 'politically correct'. Many Indians don't even understand their version of sarcasm.
Back home they will give a real twist to how they corrected the 'heathens' and 'barbarians'.
Also they become self-proclaimed "experts on India".
===============
Note : The following is not meant for any person in particular but to Indians esp. educated Indians (like us) as such.
While searching for my own roots I've come to see only a small portion of its vastness, but it has knocked away to a large extent the Western rosy glasses I was wearing till now.
Esp. the extremely thought-provoking work of a person called Rajiv Malhotra who has written a book called 'Being Different'. There are many superb videos on youtube for people who can't go through the rather thick book.
You may be wondering 'Why bring culture into it?'. It's not culture alone but a world-view that we carry in our minds. How we judge things. How we compare things. What is the basis for these ideas. World-View.
Basically it boils down to "X in India vs. Y in West". And the West mostly wins in most things that matter to an average person.
----
Whatever works for any person is good - if LM(love marriage) is good then great, if AM is great so be it.
Marriage and divorce (with/without children) are personal issues but they also lie at the root of the world we live in. That is why we also need to look at things in a not self-oriented way.
The Westerners HAVE to depend on themselves as they intentionally alienate themselves from BOTH children and parents alike (kids are expected to move out early and parents are put in old-age homes). 'Serial-mongamy', 'my-her-our-children', 'pre-nuptial' contracts before marriage is really the depth of self-oriented thinking.
Difference in opinion between generations is a natural thing. This is a good thing.
Generations need to connect and pass on things of value as each has something to learn from the other.
Today we still have parents and in-laws who will still rush to our aid in times of need.
However utility vs. bonds of affection is the new mantra from the West.
Old age homes in India are becoming quite the norm.
In this head-long rush into short-term thinking we're missing the connections between generations.
THIS is the Western 'model' we're looking up to. Even they don't like it.
----
Actually the fact that West is 'heading North' has more to do with the colonial loot they carried off with them from colonies spread all over the world.
The fact that the rest of the world is 'heading South' is due to
a) the said looting and even more dangerously
b) the mental baggage that the looters saddled us with while 'educating' the looted.
Literally a clear case of 'Ulta Chor Kotwaal ko daante'.
Anyway that is another very long story.
People interested can try Rajiv Malhotra 'Being Different' videos on youtube.
Meanwhile the thieves by the way have eaten their way through the loot in a matter of few generations (at least the Europeans).
The Americans on the other hand looted first the Red Indians and THEN the african slaves to build their fortune. Then while Europe tore itself (and its colonies) to bits in WW2, US was selling arms and making the loot from the looters. This by the way is part of WW2 history as told by Americans.
The Westerners in turn have failed with Capitalism (and Communism - it's twin).
US like all big spenders is today propped up by its creditors (China, India and the rest of the world). It is teetering on the edge of a precipice.
So the 'Success' of the West can mainly be credited to the 'Colonies' which supplied them with goodies for so long.
Blaming our highly evolved culture for 'non-success' is due to our brain-washing and ignorance of these facts. The worst part is we don't even know what we're trading in our culture for.
----
Going to temple, weddings etc are the max. limits of Indian culture we know about.
As I explained during KMan's marriage the deep significance of each ritual is now only known to a different type of Indian quite unlike what you and I have become. Cut off from our roots.
Indian culture is a very vast and deep thing.
Unlike short-lived Western ideologies they've withstood the test of time.
We don't know that however because we rarely have contact with it anymore.
What we think of as Indian Culture is the topmost twigs of a huge Banyan tree stretching for miles and miles.
The roots run deep and dig into the ancient Earth from which we all draw sustenance.
----
As you say, taking informed decisions requires having differing points of view in the information.
Cartels don't want that. Media - as the word says and means is 'a means of transfer'. The problem comes when media controls/filters transfer of information.
Fortunately Net has made such info available to seekers rather than empowering 'Media Barons'.
French have french keyboards, Germans, Japanese and Chinese have their own keyboards.
Slave-minded and brain-washed Indians pride their knowledge of English though.
The day we voted Hindi instead of Sanskrit as a common language and even WORSE English as a national language was the day we poisoned national pride (unlike all the nations above).
Rajiv Malhotra talks about about this and much more in his videos on 'Difference Anxiety' of Indians.
Self Image vs. Image of West:
Some really, really thought provoking videos on youtube to understand the economic implications of the following videos.
I for one was really surprised to know this about my own country, the US and the rest of the world.
S. Gurumurthy is a C.A. and became a Journalist while exposing the financial gol-maal of Bofors in Indian Express etc.
He talks about Indian Economy. I'd been meaning to see his talks for at least last 2 weeks but finally got around to seeing today.
The start of the talk maybe a bit slower so feel free to skip forward to the really interesting parts.
1) Comparison of Indian and US in Society and Finance : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymv_sZA8bjk
2) Problems and Potentials of Indian Economy : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVrhbq5Yp8I
3) Change in Society of US : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymv_sZA8bjk
4) How America is able to grow so much : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEE5bprA2xg
Details of S. Gurumurthy : http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/s-gurumurthy-a-corporate-adviser-swadeshi-ideologue/1/227901.html
I'm an Indian living in India and re-learning about India again.
This requires lots of un-learning and re-evaluation of the Western hog-wash as well.
The West today controls the global standards and modes of discourse. We need to define our own world-view and put our faith in our selves.
The parts of Indian culture I'm interested in are Yoga and Spiritual growth.
It was very incongruous to be learning really deep thoughts and leading a totally different life otherwise. Cognitive dissonance. How could such a deep culture be so regressive. Something was missing. Was it just wishful thinking or was there more to such a culture than appeared.
The best part is that I was groping around in this darkness when I was suggested Rajiv Malhotra's work. BOOM!!
Indian culture recognises all sources of knowledge. However Western thought rarely if ever acknowledges others. Just check out the Nobel prize list.
The pride I feel about being Indian is fully counter-balanced with a sense of being cheated out of one's own inheritance. About being fooled by cheap tricks (the shiny and cheap baubles of the West) into detaching from my own culture and roots. No wonder we have so much corruption in a country run by people with so little day-to-day pride in itself or it's culture.
=============
Manufacturing Consent from diverse "Special Interest Groups":
"The Pen is mightier than the Sword" they say.
What an Unbeatable combination when BOTH are used.
Malala is only one such 'instrument' to get the (moral) high ground even while continuing the most underhanded things in the World!!
Sanctions, Aid, Economic pressure, Military might, Drones, Diplomatic pressure, Media pressure.
The list goes on.
The best part is getting diametrically opposing ideologies to support the bigger agenda - "Dominating the Other".
Idealists support Malala type 'initiatives',
the Hawks support drones,
Businessmen support 'reconstruction' contracts.
Rules of thumb :
"If the world is run by Committees be sure to get on one".
"Better yet form the committee and fill it with your own people to fulfill your own agenda."
"Always SET Global Standards and the set the agenda of Discourse."
"Give awards to people you can co-opt for pushing your ideas and opinions" - Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize. Every man has his price, just tap into what he/she considers as defining their goal.
Intellectuals are the easiest to control as normally they're quite ignored by 'common-man'.
Getting __selected__ for a prize or getting recognition from a Govt. is like getting the attention of people - 'finally and deservedly'.
Rajiv Malhotra talks about this phenomenon - Role of Language in setting Global Standards and Discourse : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U37L8EPVc5s
Breaking India : Rajiv Malhotra talks about forces trying to carve-up India into pieces by creating/inflaming faultlines : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJGs17sUnvY
============
As one views the world so one interacts with it.
Allopathy is symptomatic in diagnosis and treatment.
Same treatment no matter the individual. "Operation successful patient dead"
Ayurveda however is a holistic treatment which treats at the root from the patient's individual constitutional view point (prakriti/vikriti - original-constitution/vitiated-constitution).
Same thing applies to Capitalism/Communism/Socialism(issue-based) vs. Dharmic way of life(holistic)
Allopathy is symptomatic in diagnosis and treatment.
Same treatment no matter the individual. "Operation successful patient dead"
Ayurveda however is a holistic treatment which treats at the root from the patient's individual constitutional view point (prakriti/vikriti - original-constitution/vitiated-constitution).
Same thing applies to Capitalism/Communism/Socialism(issue-based) vs. Dharmic way of life(holistic)
----
Yatha pinda tatha Brahmanda (As the Inside Thus the Outside):
Holistic
thinking starts instead from inside-out and understanding and
respecting relations between oneself and others. That is our Indian way.
Seeing the invisible webs of life, the ripples on the lake, the
Long-Chain perception of ourself in this Universe.
We had huge forests (limiting floods and drought) those are gone. Prakriti has changed to Vikruti. Same thing is happening in our inner life too. We need to bring balance back in our lives, in our minds.
We had huge forests (limiting floods and drought) those are gone. Prakriti has changed to Vikruti. Same thing is happening in our inner life too. We need to bring balance back in our lives, in our minds.
----
How to get Swadeshi Glasses:
You may ask " That's all very well, but how do we get those glasses as a Nation? That is unclear..."
The answer is clear and simple. If we change our vision we'll see the way appear. The 'Darshan' or Perception (in western terms) will happen on it's own.
Dive into our own culture. Explore it anew - suspending the Western educated mind. Unlearning and re-learning a different world-view. It should be easier for us as we already instinctively and intuitively know it already - being Indians. Just scrubbing away the grease of overly-western influence.
Exploring Ayurveda, Sanskrit and esp. Yoga for the last few years has helped to perceive the inner core. What was missing was the Bandhas between these varied fields.
In fact I understood it intuitively(right brain activity) long before being able to put it into words right NOW (left brain activity).
One very effective way to start on this HOLISTIC journey is to expose yourself to videos by Devdutt Pattanaik, Rajiv Malhotra, Arun Shourie, Subramanian Swamy, S.Gurumurthy helped see the connections between effects in "everyday modern life" and root causes in the so-called "esoteric IDEALS".
These Saguna videos helps get a familiarity with the Nirgun aspects reflected in works of Kabir, Fukuoka, Yoga and Sanatana Dharma of the Rishis.
The answer is clear and simple. If we change our vision we'll see the way appear. The 'Darshan' or Perception (in western terms) will happen on it's own.
Dive into our own culture. Explore it anew - suspending the Western educated mind. Unlearning and re-learning a different world-view. It should be easier for us as we already instinctively and intuitively know it already - being Indians. Just scrubbing away the grease of overly-western influence.
Exploring Ayurveda, Sanskrit and esp. Yoga for the last few years has helped to perceive the inner core. What was missing was the Bandhas between these varied fields.
In fact I understood it intuitively(right brain activity) long before being able to put it into words right NOW (left brain activity).
One very effective way to start on this HOLISTIC journey is to expose yourself to videos by Devdutt Pattanaik, Rajiv Malhotra, Arun Shourie, Subramanian Swamy, S.Gurumurthy helped see the connections between effects in "everyday modern life" and root causes in the so-called "esoteric IDEALS".
These Saguna videos helps get a familiarity with the Nirgun aspects reflected in works of Kabir, Fukuoka, Yoga and Sanatana Dharma of the Rishis.
----
Bandhuta:
Swami Vivekananda was a Raja Yogi but his Guru Ramakrishna Paramahansa was a Bhakti-Yogi.
From
a Western perspective this makes little sense - like a Arts professor
teaching Chemistry. This is because in the West things are neatly
divided. In Sanskriti all things are bound to each other by underlying
principles - "Bandhuta".The Tapestry un-ravels into the same thread, no matter which corner of the carpet you start from.
That is why Indian Classical Music is derived from Sama-Veda. And it shares the underlying principles with Dance, Astrology, Yoga, Ayurveda. These underlying principles reflect 'Ritam' - the very structure of the Universe.
----
The Mountain Peak has Many Paths:
However
the path is Subjective and not Prescriptive. The Guru can give
guidelines on the path. It depends on the Student to walk his path. The
path is highly individualistic as no other Student will walk on exactly
the same path.
Customized Learning:
This
is the Indian method of teaching.
No need for A.C. room technology as mentioned in S.Gurumurthy's talk above.
No need for A.C. room technology as mentioned in S.Gurumurthy's talk above.
Start from "Who you are" and "Where you
are" and grow from there.Improvising
is the name of the game. A student uses immediate and local materials
to construct his vehicle. In a desert he'd use a camel, in coastal area
he'd use a boat, in mountains he'd use rapelling tools.
This is not just mumbo-jumbo. In Ayurveda different plants are substitutable in a medicinal recipe. Different localities have different herbs with similar properties. Substitution vs. imports.
----
This is not just mumbo-jumbo. In Ayurveda different plants are substitutable in a medicinal recipe. Different localities have different herbs with similar properties. Substitution vs. imports.
----
Different Strokes :
Two disciples (one meek and another aggressive) accompanied Ramakrishna Paramahamsa on a boat
journey. The boatman scolded Ramakrishna-ji. The meek one kept quiet and
the aggressive disciple scolded the boatman and threatened to throw him
off
the boat. Ramakrishna-ji admonished BOTH disciples **separately** - The
meek one was admonished for not standing up for his Guru (advised to
be firm) and the aggressive one was admonished for defaming the Guru by
his rash actions (advised to be more soft).
----
Role of Politicial Parties in Nation Building :
AAP, Congress and BJP are only waves on this Bharat-Maha-Saagar.
We're closely monitoring waves in a very zoomed-in manner as depicted in media.
Instead of understanding and exploring the ocean that is our Nation and it's Sanskriti/Culture.
Issue-based politics at it's most narrow-minded and nit-picking best.
Will Jan-LokPal solve the bigger and more insidious issues of Self-Identity and Swaraj?!!
----
We're closely monitoring waves in a very zoomed-in manner as depicted in media.
Instead of understanding and exploring the ocean that is our Nation and it's Sanskriti/Culture.
Issue-based politics at it's most narrow-minded and nit-picking best.
Will Jan-LokPal solve the bigger and more insidious issues of Self-Identity and Swaraj?!!
----
The One Right Way:
"Unity in Diversity" is an oft-repeated cliche'.
Why is it a cliche'? Because it is used wantonly in ANY context.
When we zoom-in we see diversity but when we zoom-out we see Unity.
Sanskriti is best viewed from a bigger perspective.
That is why to bring Unity we need to focus on larger perspective of who WE are as INDIANS!!
Not ONLY as narrow sections - rich, middle, poor. this or that religion, farmers, businessmen, teachers.
At the same time Diversity has to be respected by allowing people to follow their Prakriti/Nature, rather than trying to get a conformity to an idealized single Way. Making Tribals wear western outfits, education will only cause more problems.
For example : If their Tribal art and craft is promoted by exports/Tourism it will help them be who they are.
If anyone wants to leave that life also they're ok to do so. Either way it'll work.
----"Unity in Diversity" is an oft-repeated cliche'.
Why is it a cliche'? Because it is used wantonly in ANY context.
When we zoom-in we see diversity but when we zoom-out we see Unity.
Sanskriti is best viewed from a bigger perspective.
That is why to bring Unity we need to focus on larger perspective of who WE are as INDIANS!!
Not ONLY as narrow sections - rich, middle, poor. this or that religion, farmers, businessmen, teachers.
At the same time Diversity has to be respected by allowing people to follow their Prakriti/Nature, rather than trying to get a conformity to an idealized single Way. Making Tribals wear western outfits, education will only cause more problems.
For example : If their Tribal art and craft is promoted by exports/Tourism it will help them be who they are.
If anyone wants to leave that life also they're ok to do so. Either way it'll work.
Hindutva:
The word 'Hindutva' has been so maligned that one needs to distinguish
the word from the negative context. Labelling the word with every
negative term in the dictionary has distorted our total mindset -
driving us away from our own roots. Need to do so scrubbing the word so
that it can be 'used in polite society' (so to say).
Our Nation - Bhaarat-desh is among the most ancient and wise cultures.
Swabhimaan/Pride in our Sanskriti is essential to be regain self-confidence required to make changes as a Nation.
----
Liberalization:
MS got a lot of credit for the gutsy and inevitable decisions taken by PV Narasimha Rao. As we can see today MS is very good at taking orders rather than giving them. PV on the other hand was disgraced, used and thrown out ceremoniously by 'The Claw'. Aiding, abetting and shielding wrong-doers by projecting individual clean-image speaks for itself. Reminds me of Nero rather than Hero.
==============
Countering Arguments Properly with People from Other Religions:I agree that most BJP supporters often tend to be crude responding more with basic instinct rather than high intellect!!
The rarer good posts come from people who have more depth in their understanding of Indian/Western world.
Why is this so and why are AAP supporters able to put their point across succinctly?
1) AAP Leftist/Socialist supporters normally restrict themselves to a small agenda a few points at most.
2) Pro Hindu supporters have a much larger cake to deal with...
Rajiv Malhotra calls this Tamasic/Rajasic nature of majority of followers.
He says most Hindus are so ignorant of their own VAST culture and intellectual thought that they're unable to voice their views on that plane.
So they descend to crude child-level pidgin instead. Like Obelix saying "TALK" in Eygptian...
It IS too much work to raise your own level to Sattvic nature.
It requires years of Swadhyay, Chintana, Manana (self study and study of texts/original wisdom).
Why is the book "Being Different" so convincing?
Rajiv Malhotra has a set of foreign/Indian skills which is difficult to collect.
It took him 20 years to gather the same. His scientific/corporate background of at least 25 years helped immensely.
Writing a book like that requires serious study of many and varied aspects over a LOOONG period of time.
It requires taking pains to raise ones level by sheer effort which is not re-saleable in today's modern world.
Knowing XYZ-Purana like the back-of-ones-hand is not value-adding on your Resume' !!
There are various levels to interpreting such texts too... which requires dhyana, chintan, manana and guidance of a qualified Guru!!
I'm struggling to read even English texts which are like summaries of other texts talking of original texts. And I'm good at reading!!
I don't know Sanskrit more than what I learnt in college and what Baba managed to pass on.
Rajiv Malhotra has put in DECADES into the following activities:
1) Sva-Paksha :
Swadhyay : Self study as in study of self and one's traditional texts/thoughts.
These are BOTH required as one needs to FEEL the IDEAS explained in the texts.
Therefore It's not enough to speak/know "Aham Brahmasmi" but to FEEL it inside.
"Brahma JAANTO to Brahman"
Sanskrit therefore aims to be an evocative, feeling-thinking language.
"Gharshana" i.e. Friction/Rubbing evokes the sound of rubbing as much as the idea of rubbing.
English too inherits this from Sanskrit (via Latin) but in a very disjointed manner.
Chintana : Reflecting on the IDEAS to evoke feelings and empathy
Manana : Staying with the IDEAS and FEELINGs until one is ONE with them.
Tarka-Shastra : Abiility to communicate the same to another in a convincing, logical way.
2) Purva-Paksha : (seeing how the opponent views the world and on what basis)
Learning the argumentation skills of the opponent,
Learning the arguments of the other,
Learning the underlying principles on which the arguments are based.
3) Tarka Shastra: (resolving issues not at leaf-level but at root-level of principles involved)
Explaining the underlying principles of one's own tradition,
Getting agreement from the opponent that those explanations are logical and potentially correct,
Finding corner-cases that the opponent's tradition is unable to explain,
Showing how one's tradition is able to account for things that the other person's tradition is unable to
Showing how one's own tradition is far superior in scope since it uses principles that are fundamental to the nature of the Universe itself.
Getting the opponent to surrender to the higher reasoning of above explanation.
As you might notice this requires a lot of isolated self-study. Something that very very few people do in modern times.
This does not mean that one can't respect and intuitively feel the greatness and grandeour of one's own culture.
Just because someone is crude in his views/language doesn't invalidate the source of the views.
There is just more emotion than intellect that's all.
The pain points are definitely there. What is lacking is the ability/skill in rhetoric i.e. ability to win others to one's point of view.
So you can imagine the confused state of the modern English educated Hindu barely comfortable with English and ignorant of his own Sanskriti !!
Our tradition and culture are so HUGE that a single person can't even read let alone comprehend everything!!
It has "Iti-Iti" and "Neti-Neti" traditions galore. We're cut off from our original source of wisdom and have to struggle in a foreign debating medium!!
This is easily leads to frustration and emotional outbursts from BJP supporters who're unable to refute and outwit point-wise arguments of essentially foreign thought-processes.
Western Thought (Capitalism/Communism):
Like most things Western they are well documented with good supporting documentation and learning resources.
They also tend to be intentionally localized and limited in scope (not Holistic).
They're quite effective in limited sphere of influence for a limited scope/time.
It's like becoming a Kung-Fu Master - takes decades of work - mental and physical effort.
Anyone with a Gun can easily seriously challenge or even neutralize a Kung-Fu master.
BANG!! There is a single point agenda for a gun-bearer. Not that much skill required at close quarters.
Maybe it's a cultural thing...
Maybe there's a reason Ten Commandments is countable on Ten Fingers. A single book Bible/Talmud.
Compare that with Bhagvad-Gita and Ramayana and Vedas and Puranas and ... (Rajiv Malhotra calls this Open Source Distributed Architecture in Indra's Net)
Maybe that's why Western Authors are better at explaining topics better by breaking topics into bite-sized ones.
AAP supporters seem to be more issue-based or principle-based supporters at least in the more educated lot who write their own views.
Left-leaning/Socialist parties are well known for rhetorical skills like logical reasoning and principled-based argumentation.
Indoctrination at various levels is a standard operating procedure.
Many times the union leader is able to couch his terms in well honed rhetoric which his blue-collar followers can't.
I guess it's easier to understand a single source like Marxist/Socialist manifesto etc. and pick up the jargon from political activists etc.
It's easier to have a few points dinned into oneself till one can exclude any other point of view quite comfortably (using labels like 'fascist', 'communal' etc).
Like "Neti-Neti for Dummies"!!
What we need is :
A "Dummies Guide to Hinduism 101" which can help Internet Hindus be at least coherent with the basic and fundamental principles of Hinduism.
This can later be built on as one adds to one's depth and breadth on Hinduism.
We also need a "Dummies Guide to Rhetoric 101" which helps people with do's and don'ts of argument and communication.
The Teaching Company has such a guide on Rhetoric.
==================
What Next:
The big question is:
What do we envisage in the coming 50 years for our own children?
Equally important - in the medium term - for ourselves?
World-views:
Today the west has a definite 'consumeristic' world-view.
Like most 'isms' (like communism) it's a one-sided view with little in-built balance.
It's a matter of time before it too collapses under it's own excesses.
While in India the 'grhasta' has always tried to balance 'sidhhi' with 'riddhi' (material and spiritual growth).
The sannyasi is definitely more leaning towards 'removing maya' but that is not our chosen path.
In our 'Sanatana Dharma' each different type of personality has it's own path.
Differences are recognised, accounted for and given due respect.
Karma Yoga - action-oriented personality
Jnana Yoga - knowledge-oriented personality
Bhakti Yoga - faith-oriented personality
Raja Yoga - meditation-oriented personality
Apart from this there are other streams suiting different sub-types of personalities.
Upbringing :
Being pre-dominantly Western in upbringing (with good doses of Sanskrit, Marathi and Socialism thrown-in) I find myself a bit of a root-less tree.
You only know the value of something once you lose it. Even more when you can remember the taste of something but not know the recipe for it.
That is why I feel a strong need to re-connect with our heritage Yoga and Spiritual practises and Sanskrit.
We have riches lying unexplored and undiscovered with us.
NRIs:
US NRIs don't expect their children are going to continue with Indian traditions/culture.
Maybe till 2nd generation at most.
Will my children (and our next gen in fact) be so divorced from Indian culture as to become NRIs in their own land?
We can bring them up in contact with our culture.
What about the country they will live in though?
Will it still remain Hindu in culture?
Indian Culture:
Otherwise what is the difference between US and Bharat?
Secularism may be same but cultures are different theirs being Christianity and our being Hinduism.
Either way being Hindus there is a huge number of reasons to want Hindu influence in our own country.
We should be secular with a definite Indian culture - no problems there.
Like we have Sanskrit mottos in all national institutions like 'Satyameva Jayate'.
As long as everyone understands that and abides by it.
They say 'The new convert is more rabid' hehe!!
Being new re-converts to Hinduism let's give some time to ourselves to mellow down a bit.
To find a dynamic balance for safeguarding our way of life and interests of our nation.
I say 'dynamic balance' since life is change and we need to change our responses accordingly.
>>We are not alone in this fear that our religion/culture will be digested - it is funny how the christian church is so scared of the same thing!
>> People got really scared after Newsweek magazine published a piece titled "We are all Hindus now" (http://mag.newsweek.com/2009/08/14/we-are-all-hindus-now.html).
>>You can see some interesting videos on this topic on YouTube and you see that they are more scared of the emergence of "Christian Yoga" (funny how we are also scared of it!) and how pastors are talking about it in churches - they see it as an infiltration of their religion!
The fear of digestion for Hindus is like the 'fear of deer' AS we don't go about converting others to our faith. If they want to understand our ways ok otherwise also ok.
The fear of digestion for non-Hindus like Christians and Muslims is like the 'fear of tiger becoming a deer' they don't want to get 'converted' as they 'want to convert OTHERS'.
"Chor ke daadhi mein Tinka".
Or as Jesus put it "Do unto others as you'd have them do unto YOU". Taken literally by them and essentially by us!!
>> And it is even more amusing to see that Indians are making money out of teaching Yoga to Americans (rather than missionaries who are spending money to convert)
Actually as Rajiv Malhotra said there is a $20 billion Yoga industry in US out of which Indians make up ONLY 1%.
THEY're good at packaging and marketing stuff... remember!! :-D
>>If you search for Hinduism on youtube you come across so many videos by westerners (most of them positive). I feel there are enough open-minded people in the world - who do not feel threatened by another religion - that the truth in Hinduism will not fade away.
>>Hinduism's flexibility to adapt and change to new understandings and its inherent truth (which even quantum scientists find attractive) will make it an enduring religion (how we are getting rid of caste/untouchability/sati/widow remarriages).
>> We also need to remember not to turn dogmatic and inward-looking - if there are good things in other religions or bad things creeping into our religion we should be able to identify/admit and correct it.
>> We need not worry about the dangers hinduism will face - instead we should learn more about it and appreciate its beauty - remember that anything that comes out of fear is not going to be healthy.
>> We need to keep an eager and positive attitude towards its learning rather than succumb to a feeling of insecurity (how will it survive?).
Rajiv Malhotra talks about 99.9% of Westerners who do a U-turn.
Very very few are able to go the whole way and become manasa, vacha, karmana Hindus.
Not just intellectually agreeing with parts of Hinduism but able to embody its subtle principles and gross external forms.
Even people like Pannikar tried to come up with their own quasi-Hindu-Christian hybrid cults.
People are born into Hinduism. For example while going through the Sanskrit video I found that the understanding of the Western student was very linear - even when he GOT it!!
"The Speaking Hands" is a documentary on Ustad Zakir Hussain - at the age of 2-3 he was doing stuff that people spent 20-30 years and STILL didn't get!!
Whereas I could look at the same discovery from so many many angles. Just growing up in India in Hindu culture is something that they can't fathom.
That is ALL the more reason for us to re-discover our own heritage.
That's why we keep saying "Indians are undisciplined and uncivilized. They have miles to go before they can even approach the West".
That's because they're trying to be who they're NOT or being judged on who they're NOT.
We SUCK at being non-Indian copies of Westerners. We would be pure GENIOUS being ourselves.
"Judging a fish as not being able to climb trees or judging a crow as not being able to swim" casts more light on the judges viewpoint rather than the subjects.
It also gives an unattainable and self-destructive self-image to the fish/crow. It is time we started growing out of the shadow of the British colonizers.
=================
+ Difference in world-view of Science (Richard Dawkins) vs. Dharma (Satish Kumar) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Sqt-zqmrk
The difference between our Sanskriti and the modern view of the world from the lens of Utility.
The more modern one is, the more respecting of Prakriti (nature), the more one is considered as superstitious.
The West could not understand the RESPECT we give/gave to rocks, rivers, animals and trees - seeing the very image of the divine in them. Original divinity rather than "original sin". Their crude concept of Eco-logy is rooted in Economics and self-centered-ness.
"Save the Ozone layer" _because_ UV causes skin cancer.
"Save the ice-bergs" _because_ they reduce 'global warming'.
Carbon-credits are a prime-example of this selfish thinking.
Since these are "reasons" and not __principles__ embedded in beliefs, they can easilly be sabotaged/refuted by vested interests. The intellectual person is easy to confuse/divert by blame-games, 'reasoning' etc. 'Modern' Western dominated India - once the land of forests - is now busy trying to strip the forests and mountains for all 'riches'.
======
Having embraced the Western culture, thought and outlook finding it's hollow-ness and short-term nature. In fact this has redoubled my interest in all things Bharatiya. Time-tested, long-lasting, simple and profound. The most relevant ideas and approaches to Life touching the very core of the Universe are from our Sanskriti. =======
The Western limited, concrete, empirical and utilitarian mind really needs to throw away its limited ideas for experiencing something on a vaster and more personal and immediate scale. Richard Dawkins (though a famous scientist) is totally out-of-depth in an interview with Satish Kumar. Dawkins displays his level of incomprehension and ignorance of things at this vast scale. Ends up looking like a school-boy when he first confronts "feelings" - confused, bewildered and trying to retain a sense-of-self. His predecessors like Heisenberg etc embraced Bharatiya thought to come up with the foundations of the counter-intuitive Quantam Physics.
He's supposed to be the latest 'evangelist'(pun intended) against "The Enemies of Reason" i.e. "psuedo-science". It seems like "Science" has replaced "Christianity" for some as the "one-right-religion" requiring scourging of all OTHER "false-religions" and "false-gods" as it were :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Sqt-zqmrk
========
In fact much of the 'Go Green' movement started as a result of Hippie culture's exposure to Hinduism respect to all things living/non-living of the Universe - 'Tat Tvam Asi'. Rajiv Malhotra talks about Western appropriation of Bharatiya Sanskriti and Ideas and repackaging it as "original Western thought/discovery" cutting off any crediting to "regressive Indian culture". : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsCWK-TQVsk
=================
+ Finally 9 Years old fake case thrown out of Puducherry Court as baseless : http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kanchi-seers-acquitted/article5396743.ece
+ Book review of "Being Different" by Rajiv Malhotra : http://the-scroll-keeper.blogspot.com/2013/12/being-different-by-rajiv-malhotra-must.html
The Ideological, Philosophical, Political and Religious battle for Identity of Indian World View. A battle for survival of Indian culture and thought in a world ready to engulf all cultures different from Western Universalism.
A Superb book on "How Islamic Fundamentalists view the world around them i.e. anyone who doesn't fall in line with them" by Arun Shourie. Some of the Fatwas described are down-right ridiculous and inane. Others are extremely worrying.
A superb book on India-China relations by Arun Shourie - "Are we deceiving ourselves again". The back and front cover of the book shows the handshake between Indian PM and Chinese Premier is quite illustrative of the asymmetric relation. Appeasement as a Policy!!
+ How 'Gandhara' became 'Kandahar': http://rajivmalhotra.com/library/articles/gandhara-became-kandahar
Today it seems that it's become more like Khandar (Ruins).
+ Dr. Subramanian Swamy video on misconception of Hindutva as Fascism : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phR19LLTgIc
+ S. Gurumurthy talks about what finances growth of US : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEE5bprA2xg
+ S.Gurumurthy talks about "Our Problems and Potentials" : http://www.youtube.com/
+ S.Gurumurthy - Capitalism and Communism 2 sides of the same coin : http://www.youtube.com/
Intellectual unfortunately also means many times a socialist/communist under-current. We don't need either Captialist/Communist ideologies - they're foreign to our land. Socialism has failed. So has Communism. Capitalism is on ventilator. Really thought-provoking ideas! How Indians are being slowly pushed/seduced into giving up our traditions to go after half-baked and exaggerated ideas of Capitalism. Sanatana Dharma has more to offer than these 'use-and-throw' ideologies.
+ S. Gurumurthy appraises Economic value in Indian Society : http://youtu.be/ymv_sZA8bjk
+ Naidu talks in Manthan speech about development pre/post 2004 : http://www.youtube.com/
In 'Manthan' speech Naidu talked about NaMo taking on the development mantel. I've seen Chandrababu Naidu trying to do something different in Hyderabad. He failed as he was recognized as an IT-oriented CM. Looking at NaMo seems like he's doing things on many fronts in Gujarat.
+ Super talk by NaMo on e-governance at Manthan : http://youtu.be/PnbP97Mc8bs
+ Rajiv Malhotra piece on recent consulate issue : http://www.firstpost.com/world/khobragade-row-india-must-try-good-cop-bad-cop-approach-with-the-us-1298757.html
+ "Christian" Yoga repackaging Surya-Namaskar firstly as Sun-Salutation and then very sneakily as Son-Salutation!! Hahaha : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajiv-malhotra/hindu-view-of-christian-yoga_b_778501.html
+ Arundhati Suzzane Roy's views on Kashmir : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jROtLcvh2qY
Trojans!! The ease with which Suzzane(aka Arundhati Roy) said Kashmir was NEVER a part of India was really eye-poppingly revealing about the kind of India such people believe in.
+ Sonya Maino Gandhi has a temple now : http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/now-a-temple-for-sonia/article5279516.ece
Can anybody guess what the 'Prasadam' will be?....
Meatball-Spaghetti, Pasta and Pizza of course. hehe ;-)
Sunday-Vrata fasts will be held in her name. ;-)
"Services" to be conducted in Latin of course. The deity can't understand the shlokas otherwise!! ;-) 'Maanmohaan' of course will observe "Maun vrat" (as usual). hehe
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